The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) is working with university administrators to improve financial accessibility across campus, according to a Jan. 21 Instagram post Jan. 21 from a new GUSA committee.
In an Instagram update, GUSA’s Financial Accessibility & Equity Committee, which collaborates with the university to improve financial aid systems, said it has worked with the Office of Student Financial Aid to resolve technical issues with the Student Information System through Ellucian Banner, the platform Georgetown uses to store and manage student information. GUSA also announced that it will partner with the Office of Student Financial Aid to develop a student financial aid newsletter to improve communication and ensure a smoother delivery of financial aid packages to students this summer.
Roan Bedoian (CAS ʼ28), the committee chair, said the committee worked closely with the Office of Student Financial Aid to address students’ concerns about financial aid.
“We’ve been learning a lot about what’s been going on on their end to cause all of these system breakdowns, and then working together on ways that we can, A, solve them and then, B, communicate that to students, so students know how to navigate these issues in the meantime,” Bedoian told The Hoya. “That’s why it is important to have this subcommittee and to address issues of not only the delays in financial aid awards this summer, but also issues of equity and access on campus.”
Students experienced delays in receiving their financial aid packages over the summer due to technical difficulties with Ellucian Banner, leading to delayed communication between students and the Office of Student Financial Aid, according to Bedoian and other GUSA representatives.
Cameran Lane (CAS ʼ28), the GUSA Senate speaker, said delays in financial aid packages caused distress among students.
“For me, even just seeing the balance — knowing that financial aid was coming — just seeing the balance sitting in the account, was enough to cause a little bit of anxiety for me and my family,” Lane told The Hoya. “So I know for plenty of students, that was very stressful.”
Ignacio Loaiza Sandoval (CAS ʼ28), the GUSA executive chief of staff, said GUSA members met with the university administration, including the Chief Operating Officer (COO), to communicate the importance of maintaining communication between the student body and the Office of Student Financial Aid.
“Through our meetings with people like the COO, with the provost, the Board of Regents, the Board of Directors, we’re able to present to them that this is something that students need,” Loaiza Sandoval told The Hoya. “We need that office to be fully staffed. We need awards to be communicated in a timely manner so that students can make these decisions about where they’re going to attend school and figure out how they’re going to afford their education.”
Bedoian said feedback from students about poor financial aid experiences over the summer led to the subcommittee’s establishment.
“I started this committee because I was wanting to do something about the experiences that happened with financial aid over the summer,” Bedoian said. “My own financial aid was kind of a nightmare — it was delayed, there was a whole bunch of stuff. I started talking to other people when we got back to school and realized most people had that experience.”
Bedoian said improving financial accessibility is especially important at Georgetown due to financial disparities between students.
“Georgetown has a huge wealth gap on campus,” Bedoian said. “We have students from the top one percent and higher, and then we have students who are here on full rides and we have everything in between.”
According to Georgetown’s admissions data, approximately 50% of undergraduate students receive financial aid.
Lane said the university must take its commitment to meeting students’ financial needs seriously.
“There’s a lot of students who are very, very well off,” Lane said. “There are a very significant amount of students who may not be as well off, but are still equally as important and financial aid — one of the reasons I came to Georgetown was because Georgetown commits itself to meet 100% of student need. That’s not a commitment that I think they should make lightly.”
Bedoian said the committee also hopes to improve financial accessibility for all students by addressing laundry costs and other costs.
“There’s all kinds of ways in which students are affected by these issues on our campus because there’s all kinds of students here,” Bedoian said. “I really think that instead of there being a culture of shame around saying, ‘Yeah, I get financial aid,’ we as a university should be proud to offer financial aid, because higher education is a tool for social mobility.”
Bedoian said financial accessibility extends beyond students’ financial aid experience.
“There are issues that don’t have to do with financial aid, so there’s a lot we want to do,” Bedoian said. “And a lot of what we want to do is also just get our message out there about the culture and start shifting this taboo about how we discuss wealth and money and class on our campus, because it doesn’t need to be the way that it is.”
“It can change, and I think it would really improve the quality of life for all students here on our campus,” Bedoian added.
